1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data vending machine system and a method thereof, and in particular to a data vending machine system and a method thereof which are capable of recording a music selected by a user (customer) onto a recording medium, printing a certain photo and character message selected by a user on a surface of a recording medium (CD: Compact Disc or DVD: Digital Video Disc) for thereby manufacturing a demand-on music album.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, as a data compression and communication technique is advanced, the use of selecting a computer communication service site or a certain internet site for thereby listening a selected music or downloading the selected music is sharply increased. However, in order to download and use the compressed music file, a certain reproducing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) having a sound card therein or a MPEG player is needed. In addition, as an interest in an intellectual right is increased, the persons having an intellectual property right restrict downloading a compressed data file on a computer communication and reproducing the downloaded compressed data files.
In order to overcome the above-described problems, various methods for converting a data file, which is compressed in such a manner that a compressed music file is reproduced using a CD reproducing apparatus or a cassette tape reproducing apparatus, onto a wave format file or and an analog format file and recording onto a recording medium for selling the same are disclosed.
Various techniques for remotely selling a certain music compressed even in a digital format file or other formats are disclosed. These techniques have the following elements. Namely, a conventional system includes a database for storing a digital data, an input unit such as a keyboard or a touch screen for selecting a certain data as a data selection unit, an output unit such as a monitor for displaying various guide messages and a data selected by a user, a charge processing unit in order for a user, who received a music service, to pay for the service, a recorder such as a CD recorder so that a user records a selected data onto a recording medium, and a control apparatus for controlling the above-described units and implementing a demand-on recording medium.
The above-described conventional data vending machine system is classified into three types. In the first type, the data stored in the storing apparatus of a remote data vending machine are sold. In the second type, the remote data vending machine is connected with a host computer via a high speed communication link for thereby downloading the information stored in the host computer. In the third type, the music files stored in the storing apparatus of the remote data vending machine as well as the music files stored in the host computer are sold for thereby selling various data without using a high speed communication link. Namely, the storing apparatus is provided in the remote data vending machine, and the remote data vending machine is connected with the host computer including a large capacity database through the communication link.
As a representative example of the third type, there is the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 5-307866 (Nov. 19, 1993). In the above-described reference, a plurality of remote data vending machines which are connected with a host computer through a communication line are provided. Namely, in the reference, in order to overcome the problem that the music files stored in the storing unit of the data vending machine, not connecting to the host computer, and a plurality of remote data vending machines are connected with a host computer via the communication network. If a music file selected by a user does not exist in the data vending machine, a transmission of a music file is requested by a user and then is stored in the storing unit of the data vending machine and is recorded onto a recording medium of the user for thereby selling a music requested by the user. In addition, the remote data vending machine may include a charge paying unit for paying the service of the music selected by the user.
As another example of the remote data vending machine connected with a host computer through a high speed communication link, the Korean Patent No. 143358 granted to the IBM discloses "Digital data access, transfer and music album manufacturing system".
In the above-described conventional data vending machine systems, a demand-on music file is sold by the following processes. Namely, in the conventional data vending machine, when a customer pays for a cost corresponding to the selected data filed, the customer receives a selected data file from the host computer and records the same onto a recording medium, and then pays for a cost corresponding to the recorded data files, so that the conventional data vending machine receives a data file, which is not stored in the storing unit of the vending machine, from the host computer and then records the received data file onto a recording medium.
Therefore, in the above-described conventional vending machine system, in a state that a customer starts buying the music files, the data file is downloaded from the host computer. When the downloading operation is completed, a recording operation is performed, so that it takes a long time to download and record the selected music files.
In addition, in the conventional remote data vending machine, different data format files are stored in accordance with a user's request. If the data files stored in the remote vending machine are lost, it is needed to recover the remote data vending machine using the data files which are stored before the data are lost. However, in the conventional data vending machine system, it is impossible to recover the lost data files. Namely, if the data of the remote data vending machine are lost, it is impossible to effectively overcome the lost data.